Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Refineries and Plants as Moscow Reports 592 UAVs Shot Down
Ukraine’s latest long-range drone attacks set fires at an oil refinery in Perm, an electronics plant in Ulyanovsk, and industrial sites in Voronezh and Luhansk, while Russia says it downed hundreds of UAVs and reports civilians injured and flights disrupted around Moscow.
Fires at oil, electronics and chemical sites across Russia and occupied Ukraine underline how far the war’s front lines have stretched, as Moscow reports shooting down hundreds of Ukrainian drones and residents in several regions count the damage.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on 25 September that air defenses shot down 592 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles overnight over Russian regions and the Black Sea. Authorities reported large-scale drone attacks on the Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, Perm and Rostov regions. In Ulyanovsk, industrial and civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, was damaged, and eight people were injured, including a child, according to the same Russian reporting.
Despite those interception claims, Ukrainian drones reached a number of major industrial targets. In the city of Perm, Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery, triggering several large fires. The refinery is described as Russia’s seventh-largest, with the capacity to process up to 13 million tons of crude oil per year, making any disruption there significant for fuel production.
In Ulyanovsk, Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack on the Iskra Electronics Plant. Video from the scene shows six consecutive strikes on different parts of the facility. The plant specializes in electronic components, radio-electronic equipment and communications systems for both military and industrial use, so damage there could affect both sectors.
Further east, last night’s Ukrainian drone strike on the Voronezhsintezkauchuk synthetic rubber plant in Voronezh led to a fire at the site. Synthetic rubber and related thermoplastic materials feed into a wide range of industrial and military supply chains.
In Russian-occupied Luhansk City, Ukrainian mid-range drones hit the Stroycenter shopping center overnight, causing a large fire. While the target there was commercial, the strike fits a broader pattern of Ukrainian drone use against sites in rear areas under Russian control.
Russian channels also reported attempts to reach the capital. Ten drones flying toward Moscow were destroyed by air defense systems, according to Russian summaries, prompting temporary restrictions at Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, two of the city’s main hubs. Air defenses were also reported active overnight in Voronezh Region.
For people in cities like Ulyanovsk, Perm and Voronezh, the immediate stakes are physical safety and the knock-on effects of damage to nearby plants and housing. Injuries, fires, and broken infrastructure show that distance from the front does not guarantee protection from aerial attack. For Russia’s leadership, the strikes highlight the need to allocate air defense assets across a wide territory while keeping refineries, electronics plants and other critical facilities running.
The key signals to watch from here are how long production is disrupted at the Permnefteorgsintez refinery, the Iskra Electronics Plant and the Voronezhsintezkauchuk facility, and whether Russia changes airport procedures or air defense deployments around major industrial hubs and Moscow. Any further Ukrainian strikes of similar range and scale would confirm that these deep targets remain at risk.
Sources
- OSINT